Batman: City of Scars
by ClassActCommentary
Summary: Batman has to halt his hunt for Zsasz to find the Joker before it's too late. A novelization of the short film by BatInTheSun on YouTube.
1. Chapter 1

Batman: City of Scars

Chapter 1

Arkham Asylum, July 3rd, 2012

The Joker has escaped, proving once again that the system here is broken. Thanks to this recent attempt, I've had to hold off on my investigation on the serial killer named Zsasz. The Joker will and always has been my top priority. Someone as dangerous as him can't afford to be let loose. As I investigate the sewer system below Arkham, I notice something: his footprints have ended in the west end caverns. As I scoured the waters nearby, I noticed what I came here for: his Arkham jumpsuit. It seems his path of destruction has already started, putting Arkham nurse Rebecca White, 23, in the hospital. She was only at the asylum for two weeks. The news coverage has spread like a wildfire. Today, the people of Gotham woke up to a message writ in blood: _The Zebra has escaped from the Zoo to feast on the blood of the Lion. Happy 4__th__ of July, Bats. _From whose body I cannot say.

_July 4__th_

Ever since my parents died, I have barely seen Gotham during the day. However, there is one reason I come out: Crime Alley. This place is the reason I come to see daylight every year. I come here when there is no other way to silence the demons in my head. As with all children, I came to my parents for help, for an answer. I always come here with two roses, one for my mother and the other for my father. I will never forget that night for as long as I live; the stench of the alley and the smoke of the muzzle are ingrained forever in my mind. But tonight, I will not dwell heavily on my past. The Joker is still out there and I need to find him.

There was a murder, out on 42nd Street. A councilman and his 10 year old son kidnapped, the child's mother killed. Hearing that news tore my heart apart. Another child will be stripped of his innocence by Gotham's underworld. Over police chatter I can hear that the corpse's body has been poisoned by some sort of gas. The face was showing an inhumane grin, like that of the Joker's. He will pay for this. However, now is not the time to deal with personal vendettas, I need information, _now_. There's only one person I know for sure who would help him escape: Harley Quinn.

As I step back into the asylum, I notice the freaks in their cells, grabbing as if to reach for some far off object. These creatures are only here for their lack of conscience. They're lucky I'm not one of them. If I crossed into their state of mind I'd be taking all of Gotham with me. As I crossed to the guard, he told the cell keeper to open the cell. The keeper gave me a confused look but I paid it no mind, he was obviously new. I looked down at Harley. She looked disheveled to say the least. Her hair was matted and greasy, her makeup crusted and old, her face cut in several places, not to mention her state of mind deteriorating rapidly. "Harley" I said, commanding her attention.

She looked up at me. There was no shine to her eyes. She looked cold and not all there. "I'm not supposed to talk to you." She said.

"A councilman and his son are missing, the child's mother dead. I need to know where the Joker is."

"I thought he'd be with you right now. You're always on top of his games."

I tried to keep my cool at the remark but sooner or later she'd tell me. I may as well tell her the truth, not like it would matter. The Joker's always been manipulative to weaker minds. "Joker's been using you Harley. He's never cared about you." She looked away for a minute, shaking her head as if she were a wet dog muttering "no" repeatedly. "That's why he needed your help to escape." The last words drove her crazy. She screamed in a crazed anger and bolted upright, staring into my eyes. "He loves me." She hissed. "He'll come back. He always comes back."

"He can't help himself. He's going to do something terrible and you know what it is. You know him better than anyone."

She smirked and then returned to that blank expression. "I don't know anything about some missing little twerp or his father. But I do know something about some little man owing him a favor and that he plans to cash it in." Then, with those last words, she let out a harrowing, bone-chilling laugh. I could tell the insanity finally came.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harley's reference to 'the little man' was an obvious reference. He runs one of the dirtiest strip clubs in Gotham. The man's name was Arnold Wesker, a famous puppeteer who fell into crime with help of his favorite dummy, Scarface. As I walked into the club, a noticed a little scuffle going on in the center of the joint between two workers and what looked like two goons, probably Penguin's. However, to my astonishment, nobody noticed me. I decided to take little notice in that. I could have taken a less noticeable approach, but I _wanted _to be noticed. I want to make it known that criminals will no longer be tolerated in Gotham. I would have to sink to their level if I was to make it seen and I will always do what it takes. I felt the cool touch of a gun barrel to the back of head. I needed to act quickly or die. I spun around to knock the gun loose. The man fired two shots before he hit the ground. Two other men appeared in front of me. I took them down with little ease. As I took care of the last of Wesker's bunch, I noticed a new face in the crowd. The man I was hunting down before: Victor Zsasz. He was easily recognizable by the scars on his body; each scar was a tally he carved into his own skin after killing someone. He was obviously fast with a knife. However, I was faster. I managed to lodge his knife into a fence on the wall nearby. I noticed that Zsasz is also fast with his fists too, even rivaling my speed and he was strong, probably the strongest person I've fought that wasn't on a drug like VENOM. I tackled him to the ground and grabbed a length of chains nearby I decided that this would be one criminal I will not be taking to Arkham. After slowly choking the life out of Zsasz, I stood up, looking into the back room that was obviously Arnold's office. Now there was just him to deal with.

I threw Zsasz's body into the door, knocking it over. It seems there was one more goon left; he was short work to deal with. I walked over to Wesker's desk and looked at him. He and Scarface looked back. He always had that damned puppet with him. "I don't have time for any games Wesker. I just want facts, _now_."

"You got something to say? Say it to me, dummy." Scarface said. Wesker was obviously not going to talk unless I forced him to. I decided to play along though. "Where is he?" I demanded. Wesker looked at Scarface and back to me. He was stammering to say what he wanted to but Scarface decided to interject. "You come in here screwing up my business and so you decide to put the screws in me?" He added a little fake cough to Scarface.

"Easy Mr. Scarface, your blood pressure." I had enough of his toying around. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him into the bathroom mirror. "Why was Joker here Wesker? What did he want?"

He tried to answer but he looked at Scarface as if he were actually talking to him. If I had to guess, Scarface would probably have threatened to kill Wesker. Wesker was pleading with the doll as if it would actually happen. "Wesker, a child and a councilman's life is in danger."

"I can't say anything." He was stammering again. Obviously "Scarface" had a bigger hold on his psyche than the last time. I decided to kick it up a notch. I grabbed both him and the dummy and brought him to a paper slicer in his office. Every office seems to have one of these things. I placed Scarface on the slicer, the blade right under its neck. "No!" Arnold shouted.

"I'm going to ask you one more time Wesker, why was Joker here?"

"I don't know! He said something about a…carnival! Yeah, that was it. A carnival! For the 4th of July!" he said hysterically.

"_And_?"

"And that's it! I swear to God that's all I know. Please don't hurt him Let him go. Please?"

That seemed to be all the info I could get out of him. I left without another word.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I found the councilman's body about two miles from the carnival. The child has now lost both parents. It would be hard to get a bead on the Joker. Knowing him, he probably has some disguise ready just in case. Luckily, his disguises don't last terribly long. I found him getting off the Ferris wheel. One bat trip cable would do. I threw the cable around his legs, tackling him to the ground. I slammed him onto a carnival game nearby. It was the closest place I could get him. "Where's the boy?" I demanded. "This is going to end for you soon if you don't tell me!"

He looked at me with that wild look in his eyes and that deranged smile. "Well give me your best shot Bats!" I placed him in a chokehold. He'd have to give in soon or die. As I looked around, I noticed children, lots of them. I figured I may as well give them a show. They'll probably never know that I was the real Batman. So I took the Joker under my boot, pressing lightly on his neck "Where is the boy?" I demanded again. "Tell me now damn you!"

He smiled again. "We only wanted to ride the Ferris wheel."

The Ferris wheel, of course. I looked up to notice a small shape, bundled up in a jacket with the hood up. That must be the boy. I decided to leave him and get after the child. Before I left, I planted a tracking device on Joker. I'd go after him later.

When I got there, I was stopped by a man dressed as Uncle Sam; he must be one of Joker's goons. My suspicions were correct when he pulled out a gun on me. I knocked the gun out of his hands. It took him a second to react to what just happened. "Move. " I commanded and move he did. I flicked the switch to stop the wheel. I lifted the hood of the jacket to reveal not a boy, but a bomb set to blow in 30 seconds. I would need to defuse it quickly. However, time was not on my side. So I did the only thing I could think of next. I strapped the bomb to my grapple gun and placed it on the highest setting. I pulled the trigger and the bomb and grapple flew high above everyone. Then it detonated.

With everyone safe, I decided to go after Joker. I knew that he would lead me right to the boy when he escaped. I ran to the Batcycle to get after Joker in time. As luck would have it, he was only 3 blocks away. His van must be stored in the alley nearby. As I neared the alley I noticed the boy and Joker facing each other. They both had a gun. I readied three Batarangs. The closer I got the more I noticed my target: his arm. If I could throw them into his arm, he'd drop the gun and I could finally finish this. However, the boy got to him first. One bullet was fired into his chest. Hopefully that stopped him for good. As I walked up to the boy, he looked at me. From close comparison, the boy looked as heartless and cold as the murderers I've had to deal with this night. I can't say I blame him though. "Why didn't you save my parents?" he asked. I couldn't answer him for I had nothing to say. Before long, the local police came and took the boy away and there I stood, looking at the Joker.

The Joker is anything but anticlimactic, which is what this death was. With all of his mischievous and almost whimsical schemes, he was certainly nobody you could roll your eyes at. Every 'performance' of his had a point to it. Even if his horrific death toll had landed him back in Arkham, it would all be part of his plan. But this, this didn't seem to have a plan. Is it all possible that what this child did, I should have done ages ago? Was it really that black and white? Can this count as a victory? A sign of a storm passing over or getting worse?

I failed. I failed my parents and most of all, I failed _him_. The Batman exists to make sure what happened to Bruce Wayne will never happen to anyone else. How many more broken families exist because of the Joker's reign of terror, terror that I couldn't seem to end? Even in the end, Joker will still get his last laugh. Even without the Joker, Gotham will still have its scars. But for those with too many scars, it has pushed them over the edge. Have I been wrong all these years? Was I just afraid to pull the trigger? I can't believe that to be true. But as my city and I grow older, I begin to doubt the choices I've made. I often ask myself: if I were faced with the same situation, would I take the life of my parents' killer? That is a question that has haunted me my entire life. The only answer to it is the life I now have. The answer to that question is, and will always be, Batman.


End file.
